India vs England 2021: Ashish Nehra wants Team India to be wary of England pacers
Follow Us
Former Indian left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra talked about the England pacers of how they can do a ‘big damage’ to the hosts in the upcoming third Test match at the Motera Stadium.
The former Indian cricketer also deliberated on the swinging nature of the pink ball during the day-night Test match.
There’s no shortage of pace battery with the England Team, said Ashish Nehra
With the pitch likely to assist the pacers at the Motera Stadium, Nehra, in a way, warned Team India to be watchful of their solid bowling unit. Hinting James Anderson, Jofra Archer & Stuart Broad, the veteran feels that the visitors have a solid pace line-up.
“Yes, all three fast bowlers (James Anderson, Jofra Archer & Stuart Broad). You just named two really experienced fast bowlers. One, according to me, the most skilful bowler going around right now – Jofra Archer. These three guys, plus you have Chris Woakes; Olly Stone was looking good, then you have guys like Mark Wood who is back. So, there’s no shortage of pace battery, when it comes to the England team,” Nehra said on Star Sports show CRICKET CONNECTED.
As the dew cover usually ladens the pitch under the lights, the pitch is known to assist the pacers in that sense. Talking of the same Nehra added, “But the main question is, yes, the Pink Ball swings also under lights. What kind of a wicket there will be? If the wicket is useful for fast bowling or the wicket is conducive for fast bowling, then these guys can do big damage, but that only time will tell. The kind of talent they have, if there’s anything in the wicket, they will be really good. Even if there’s not too much help from the wicket, we have seen what James Anderson can do (in the first Test). Stuart Broad can bowl really long spells and trouble the batsman. He didn’t have that good a Test match, the first one which he played, but overall, there’s no shortage of talent, firepower when it comes to fast bowling. So, India should be careful, even on a wicket which might not be useful or helpful for fast bowling.”
‘Any fast bowler playing 100 Test matches is a big achievement,’ reckoned former Indian player
Amid the discussions, Nehra lauded Ishant Sharma, who would be playing his 100th Test while featuring in the pink-ball Test against England in Ahmedabad. Earlier in the series, Ishant clinched a milestone as he got 300 Test wickets under his belt.
Analysing Ishant’s performance, Nehra said: “Not only any Indian fast bowler, but any fast bowler playing 100 Test matches is a big achievement. When people talk about Ishant Sharma’s length, yes, he has altered his length, which is very important in Test cricket. Plus, he is the same old Ishant Sharma, the ball is coming into right-handers, which is really important for him, bowling around the stumps.“
“Earlier, he used to bowl only over the stumps, but still the ball was not going away nicely against left-handers or you can say when right-handers are batting coming in nicely. From the last 18 to 24 months, even around the stumps, forget over the stumps, the ball is going away nicely to the left-handed batsmen. This shows that he is thinking about his game, looking to add new things, and the results have gone in his favour. It’s a great thing for India,” he added.
The series now stands levelled 1-1. However, Team India would be fuming with confidence after their thumping 317-run victory in the second match at Chennai. Nevertheless, Team England is known for giving surprises the way it did in Sri Lanka and during the first Test against India.
Stay Updated!
Sahil Sethi
(278 Articles Published)